Islamic State shows photo of improvised Russian plane bomb

CAIRO: Islamic State’s official magazine carried a photo on Wednesday of what it said was the improvised bomb that brought down the Russian airliner over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula last month, killing all 224 people on board.

The photo showed a can of Schweppes Gold soft drink and what appeared to be a detonator and switch on a blue background.

“The divided Crusaders of the East and West thought themselves safe in their jets as they cowardly bombarded the Muslims of the Caliphate,” Dabiq magazine said. “And so revenge was exacted upon those who felt safe in the cockpits.”

The group also published a photo of what it said were passports belonging to dead Russians “obtained by the mujahideen”. It was not immediately possibly to verify the authenticity of the photos published in the magazine.

Islamic State said it had exploited a loophole at Sharm al-Sheikh airport, where the Airbus 321 originated, in order to smuggle a bomb on board.

The group said it had initially planned to bring down a plane belonging to a country participating in the U.S.-led coalition bombing it in Syria and Iraq but changed course after Moscow started its own airstrikes campaign in Syria.

“A bomb was smuggled onto the airplane, leading to the deaths of 219 Russians and 5 other crusaders only a month after Russia’s thoughtless decision.”